Nadia Elghobashi-Meinhardt

Nadia Elghobashi-Meinhardt is a Lecturer/Assistant Professor at the School of Chemistry, University College Dublin, holding an Ad Astra Fellowship. She earned her BSc in Chemistry from Stanford University (1999), followed by an MSc (2001) and PhD (2005) in Theoretical Chemistry at the Free University Berlin. Her postdoctoral work includes theoretical chemistry at the Fritz Haber Institute (2006) and computational biophysics at Heidelberg University (2007-2009). She later led a junior research group at the Free University Berlin (2011) and studied metalloenzyme catalysis at Technical University Berlin (2019).

Her research focuses on computational biophysics, combining quantum mechanics (QM), molecular mechanics (MM), hybrid QM/MM, and machine learning to decipher structure-function relationships in biological systems. Key areas include biocatalysis in metalloenzymes, lysosomal protein dynamics in sterol homeostasis, and applications of computational methods to diseases like Niemann-Pick Type C (NPC). Her work bridges structural biology and quantum chemistry, with implications for clean energy and therapeutic development.

Recent studies examine TRPML2 ion channels (2025), phosphatidylserine synthase regulation of SREBP pathways (2025), and transaminase-driven cascades for chiral N-heterocycles (2025). She also investigates sialin transporters (2024) and vitamin-K-dependent enzymes (2024), contributing to understanding lysosomal and metabolic disorders.

Scientific Awards

• Ad Astra Fellowship (2023)
• Member of the Royal Society of Chemistry (2024)

At UCD, she teaches Symmetry and Computational Chemistry (CHEM30230), Applied Introductory and Physical Chemistry (CHEM10130), and Scientific Enquiry (SCI10010), while coordinating Advanced Topics in Physical Chemistry (CHEM41430). She supervises PhD students in projects involving lysosomal proteins, nitrogenase mechanisms, and computational approaches to disease-related pathways.